Universities

[saratink]

How did everyone pick which university they wanted to go to?

I don't have to choose yet, but i don't have a clue what to try and apply for.

[Alcatraz]

I guess the first thing to consider is where in the country you'd want to be. Then probably consider what type of Uni you want, campus or more a city centered University.

I have to say I reached the idea of Birmingham after becoming disillusioned with the idea of living in London (a strange conclusion to make some of you are thinking ) but it made a lot of sense. Its a big, diverse city which is what I was after.

Visiting the University is always a good idea if your thinking it would be somewhere you'd like to go. I was thinking about Sussex University for a while, until I visited and I realised I didn't really like the campus and the fact it was too far from Brighton for my liking.

Perhaps the important thing for this year though is not to overstretch yourself in terms of where you apply and what you think you are confident you can achieve in your A-Levels. There are loads of good uni's out there where you'll have a great time and come away with a good degree. Applying is becoming an increasingly cut throat process so if you're really keen about getting to Uni consider where you think you'd like to be but also where you're absolutely confident you can meet the requirements

[eFestivals]

according to the govt, a uni graduate will benefit on average by £100k at today's prices in increased wages over their working life.

So for building up a £25k+ debt, you'll get to earn £2,250 a year extra, and it'll be ten years of post-uni work before you get to see the first profit for your three years at Uni ... tho as a woman, it's quite likely that you'll be a lifetime loser financially by having gone to Uni.

So ... with that in mind, perhaps Uni isn't necessarily the best life choice on that financial basis.

[saratink]

I guess the first thing to consider is where in the country you'd want to be. Then probably consider what type of Uni you want, campus or more a city centered University.

I have to say I reached the idea of Birmingham after becoming disillusioned with the idea of living in London (a strange conclusion to make some of you are thinking ) but it made a lot of sense. Its a big, diverse city which is what I was after.

Visiting the University is always a good idea if your thinking it would be somewhere you'd like to go. I was thinking about Sussex University for a while, until I visited and I realised I didn't really like the campus and the fact it was too far from Brighton for my liking.

Perhaps the important thing for this year though is not to overstretch yourself in terms of where you apply and what you think you are confident you can achieve in your A-Levels. There are loads of good uni's out there where you'll have a great time and come away with a good degree. Applying is becoming an increasingly cut throat process so if you're really keen about getting to Uni consider where you think you'd like to be but also where you're absolutely confident you can meet the requirements

[Alcatraz]

Thanks for replying!

I'm really not sure where i want to be in the country. Easiest option would be cardiff but thats only because its 30 miles down the road from where i live now. But then again, i wanna move away too!

I'm gona be doing my access course into nursing this year. I expect the college will help me decide, but it's just the fear of not being *bright* enough for certain universities, even though i'm not a dull girl.

I've been on a website with recomended universities but it just comes up with a list and satistics which isn't really helpful. I suppose i'd like to be in a city, which is different to where i've grown up.

[Ed209]

Figure out what subject you want to do first! So important to get this part right. If you really don't know what course you want to do then maybe uni isn't quite right for you at the moment. Don't go to uni for the sake of it. Go because you want to learn something in a subject you're interested in.

I did some research into what were the best departments for my subject choice (also very important), and then went and visited them. Visiting them first is crucial! I went to visit Imperial and really didn't see myself there, I then went for a look round Warwick and fell in love with the place. Ended up going there and don't regret my decision for a second. Had an amazing time at uni. (Ironically I am now at Imperial, but things are a lot different further along the line in academia.)

Other things to consider are City vs Campus unis. Personally I would be very hesitant about doing an undergrad in London, not only because of the cost, but also because its so big that its easy to feel detached from the university and undergraduate scene. Everyone is spread out all over the place and it can be tricky to meet new students. Whereas in campus uni's and smaller university towns things are very close-knit and you end up being right in the mix of student life, and usually only live a few doors away from all your mates. There are also unis which strike a nice balance, such as leeds and sheffield where you have the city, but also have all the students living in the same district of town.

But just go look at some. You will get a gut feeling when you find the right one.

EDIT: ahh..you want to do nursing. Sorry, from your first post you made it sounds as though you didn't know what subject to do. Ignore the first bit then.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Ed209

[jump]

according to the govt, a uni graduate will benefit on average by £100k at today's prices in increased wages over their working life.

So for building up a £25k+ debt, you'll get to earn £2,250 a year extra, and it'll be ten years of post-uni work before you get to see the first profit for your three years at Uni ... tho as a woman, it's quite likely that you'll be a lifetime loser financially by having gone to Uni.

So ... with that in mind, perhaps Uni isn't necessarily the best life choice on that financial basis.

[saratink]

according to the govt, a uni graduate will benefit on average by £100k at today's prices in increased wages over their working life.

So for building up a £25k+ debt, you'll get to earn £2,250 a year extra, and it'll be ten years of post-uni work before you get to see the first profit for your three years at Uni ... tho as a woman, it's quite likely that you'll be a lifetime loser financially by having gone to Uni.

So ... with that in mind, perhaps Uni isn't necessarily the best life choice on that financial basis.

[Pogues Mcgogues]

Do English people get free tuition fee's ifn they study in Scotland? If so, then Glasgow Caledonian and the UWS are big intakers for nursing.

However, Scotland's a bit shit and if you were moving away I'd think somewhere in England would be more lolful.

[Alcatraz]

Do English people get free tuition fee's ifn they study in Scotland? If so, then Glasgow Caledonian and the UWS are big intakers for nursing.

However, Scotland's a bit shit and if you were moving away I'd think somewhere in England would be more lolful.

[ampersand]

Do English people get free tuition fee's ifn they study in Scotland? If so, then Glasgow Caledonian and the UWS are big intakers for nursing.

However, Scotland's a bit shit and if you were moving away I'd think somewhere in England would be more lolful.

[Pogues Mcgogues]

you didn't take geography, did you?

[llcoolphil]

according to the govt, a uni graduate will benefit on average by £100k at today's prices in increased wages over their working life.

[Halcyon]

I literally drew up a list of pros and cons. I'd narrowed it down to 3 unis, and really couldn't decide between them.

So I drew up a list of things I considered important, and gave each a weighted score, and see which one came out on top... categories like course content, uni reputation, campus, library, accommodation quality, accommodation availability, nearest city, nightlife, pubs, transport, union, etc....

Birmingham came out on top, so I went there. Haven't regretted it for an instant.

My other tip is to consider hard about living at home while studying. There's no reason why it has to be this way, but you'll eventually start missing out on things happening at the uni in the evenings, and feel like your not experiencing the uni atmosphere.

Of course, it depends on how far you live away, the travel time, if you're mobile (with a car), and if you can easily and regularly get home after at 3am after the student nights out...

I have countless friends that stayed at home, and they all said that despite them doing their best to stay involved at the beginning, slowly and surely they started to miss events and the social life. Living in halls, student accommodation isn't for everyone.. but if you don't get homesick on a regular basis, and you think you might enjoy it, then you definitely will.

Not wanting to discourage you from living at home or anything, as you'll save a crap load (lord knows going to uni is unreasonably expensive as it is)... but it's worth thinking hard about before you decide.

[Pogues Mcgogues]

And even that is a bit of false accounting by the government to cover up how valueless degrees actually are financially. The average only works because of the huge amounts above average some graduates earn - the professions predominantly. Once most graduates have knocked off the debt they have built up and subtracted the years of wages already earned by non graduates, the difference is somewhere between non-existent or actually in favour of the non-graduate. Id suggest anyone thinking of going to a university outside the top 20 have a serious think about the options.

[saratink]

Do English people get free tuition fee's ifn they study in Scotland? If so, then Glasgow Caledonian and the UWS are big intakers for nursing.

However, Scotland's a bit shit and if you were moving away I'd think somewhere in England would be more lolful.

[eFestivals]

Although out of everyone I knew who went to Uni from my college/school days with me I'm easily earning the most despite not going to Uni myself.

It is rubbish when you think of it that way. I think i'd much rather end up with a salaried paid job than the minimum wage job that someone like me would be getting if i don't go to university though.

There's a huge number of people - just like jump, and me when I was chasing the money - who get to do far better via not going to Uni than they might have done if they had.

For a start, at 21, one would have just finished Uni and be just about worthless as an employee cos they know sod all that's useful, while the other would have three years hands on experience. Those extra years experience have their own value, which shouldn't be discounted.

Frankly, any employer who demands a degree from someone they're looking to employ is an employer worth avoiding, as they obviously know about as much about their business as the freshly graduated people they're looking to employ.

And give it a few years and the trend of needing a degree from moronic employers will have passed anyway, cos our university system is about to go to shit.

[llcoolphil]

That's if you view education only as a careerist option.

[Alcatraz]

No i think you've had to live there for like 3 years before your entitled to free tutition. Mind i don't know whether what they say on here is for all students or just welsh ones

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/sonms/degreeprogrammes/undergraduate/index.html

and whether the same things apply to all universities in UK for nursing/midwivery.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Alcatraz

[Pogues Mcgogues]

So alongside maths and geography, we now have to take in English and Comprehension. If you read the very first sentence you will see it reads '...how valueless degrees actually are FINANCIALLY'.

I'll tell you what, you're some advert for the quality of a Caledonia degree!

[eFestivals]

And even that is a bit of false accounting by the government to cover up how valueless degrees actually are financially. The average only works because of the huge amounts above average some graduates earn - the professions predominantly. Once most graduates have knocked off the debt they have built up and subtracted the years of wages already earned by non graduates, the difference is somewhere between non-existent or actually in favour of the non-graduate. Id suggest anyone thinking of going to a university outside the top 20 have a serious think about the options.

Yep, you're not wrong.

I had to laugh at something I heard recently, a fresh graduate (I can't remember in which subject) saying he wouldn't consider any job which paid him less than £30k. Which gets to show just how much of a worthless c**t that particular guy is, cos he's thinking that him freshly graduated is worth £9k a year more than the average worker on the average wage who actually knows something useful via 20+ years of doing it.

Education is a good thing, but there's plenty of options - and far cheaper - than going to Uni to get educated.

Edited September 2, 2010 by eFestivals

[llcoolphil]

and whether the same things apply to all universities in UK for nursing/midwivery.

[Halcyon]

For a start, at 21, one would have just finished Uni and be just about worthless as an employee cos they know sod all that's useful, while the other would have three years hands on experience. Those extra years experience have their own value, which shouldn't be discounted.

Frankly, any employer who demands a degree from someone they're looking to employ is an employer worth avoiding, as they obviously know about as much about their business as the freshly graduated people they're looking to employ.

And give it a few years and the trend of needing a degree from moronic employers will have passed anyway, cos our university system is about to go to shit.

[eFestivals]

That's if you view education only as a careerist option.

No, that's if you view university only as a careerist option.

There's plenty of far cheaper options to get far better educated.

[Alcatraz]

No, that's if you view university only as a careerist option.

There's plenty of far cheaper options to get far better educated.